40 Million Credit Cards Stolen from Target

Leon Hitchens

5 years ago

Target has offered dozens of hot deals for the holiday shopping seasons, but those deals may have also rewarded hackers. Target has confirmed that hackers were able to access their card processing systems and access 40 million credit cards. Shoppers who made purchases inside Target retail stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 are at the most risk right now.

“Target’s first priority is preserving the trust of our guests and we have moved swiftly to address this issue, so guests can shop with confidence,” Target’s CEO, chairman and president Gregg Steinhafel said. “We regret any inconvenience this may cause. We take this matter very seriously and are working with law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.”

KrebsonSecurity, which first reported the breach, said the theft is to create counterfeit cards. They believe that customers names, credit numbers, expiration dates, and CVC codes have been swiped. Target has already contacted finical institutions and the police, but the extent of this theft is still unknown. This is the largest retailer theft of credit card numbers yet, and customers are encouraged to watch there bank statements.